Being with Michael: Part 1 (Book Two)

Chapter Twenty Eight

The next day Michael is out practicing and Chris comes in to stay with Paige.

He walks into the waiting room and says to the remaining Jackson family (the ones not performing), "Tuck-tuck is here to relieve you from your duties. Now get your asses out of here and get some sleep in a real bed!"

He waits for the family to file out before he heads into Paige's room.

"Hey girl, it's Chris. Looks like were roomies for the day."

He walks around fiddling with all the machines, "This whole no-reply thing is gonna make me think no one can hear me and I'm gonna start saying some crazy shit. So I'm gonna apologize in advance for any weirdness."

He grabs the chair and pulls it up to the side of the bed.

"You know there are still people standing outside for y'all?! I mean, damn, it's been a week.

"I'd be like, 'Nah, imma sleep in my nice warm bed not on the cold fucking ground.'"

He cracks himself up and looks at Paige's expressionless face.

"You know, people usually laugh at my jokes. I must not be funny enough for you with your high standards being married to Michael and all."

He shakes his head and makes a tisking noise.

"You know, your man is crazy. He really is. And I'm the one saying this, too, so it's gotta be true. Lemme tell you a story."

He gets up to act the story out as if he has a real audience watching him.

"So one day, me and Mike were driving and he wanted to go to this record shop in the mall. And I was like, 'Michael, you can't just walk into no mall.' And he said, being the motherfucker that he is, 'No, I think it's fine, Chris. It will be fine!' And I just stare at him like: The fuck? You're Michael Jackson, you can't just do that without getting kicked out for causing a mob!"

"And then he finds this mask and goes, 'Here, I'll use this,' as if he found the magical solution to the problem. It was a fucking Spider-Man mask! But he insisted, so we go in and he starts laughing, 'Hee-hee!' And I'm like, 'Michael SHUT THE FUCK UP! Everyone know your laugh! We gonna get caught!'"

"And then people be coming up and asking me if that's Michael Jackson with me and I go, 'Nah, man. That's Spider-Man! Y'all don't know fucking Spider-Man when he see him?' But eventually people figure it out cause Mike didn't do shit to change his walk or anything. And we have to run to the car like little bitches. It was crazy, I'll tell ya Paige. Mike ain't as smart as he seems."

He looks at Paige and laughs, "But you still fell for him, he shamone-d the hell outta you! But y'all great together, you really are."

He sits down and grabs the TV remote, "Now what shows do you like?"

He pauses as if to wait for a reply before saying, "Yeah, that's what I was thinking too."